Multiple access internet portal revenue sharing

ABSTRACT

Multiple access internet portal billing systems are provided. A representative system, among others, includes a communication facility, a wireless internet server, and a transaction billing system. The communication facility includes a billing platform, and is operable to connect to a plurality of wireless device platforms through a mobile network, and to connect to the wireless internet server. The wireless internet server provides internet access to the wireless devices and communicate at least one billing information record including a usage time to a transaction billing system. The transaction billing system receives the billing information record from the wireless internet server, formats the billing information record, and communicates the formatted record to the communication facility billing platform. Methods and other systems for multiple access internet portals are also provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention is generally related to internetconnectivity, and more particularly related to multiple access internetportals.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0002] The development of the internet has resulted in rapid technologygrowth over the past ten years. This is particularly true of theworld-wide-web. As the world-wide-web has grown, it has become a part ofeveryday life for many. Web based e-mail has allowed people theconvenience of accessing their accounts from any terminal equipped witha web browser. Moreover, companies such as Yahoo! and Microsoft haveexpanded to give users the flexibility of providing personalized contentat any web terminal worldwide.

[0003] In the past few years, it has become increasingly prevalent forusers to carry a wireless access protocol (WAP) enabled cellular phone.As WAP phones have become more popular, content providers like Microsofthave attempted to provide their services to the end user throughlicensing the wireless carrier to provide the service to theircustomers. However, this leaves the carrier paying for every wirelessuser with a WAP enabled phone. Thus, in traditional models, one of twocircumstances occur: every customer ends up paying for the serviceregardless of whether they use it or not; or, the customers who use theservice subsidize the availability of the service to everyone else.Thus, there is a need for systems that overcome the above shortcomings,among others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] One embodiment, among others, of the present invention provides amultiple access internet portal billing system. A representative system,among others, includes a communication facility, a wireless internetserver, and a transaction billing system. The communication facilityincludes a billing platform and can connect to a plurality of wirelessdevices on different platforms through a mobile network. The wirelessinternet server provides internet access to the plurality of wirelessdevices and communicates a billing information record including a usagetime to a transaction billing system, and the transaction billing systemreceives the billing information record from the wireless internetserver, formats the billing information record, and communicates theformatted record to the communication facility and the billing platform.

[0005] In one embodiment, among others, of the present invention, ausage based billing system for a multiple access portal is provided. Arepresentative system, among others, includes a wireless internet serverand a transaction billing system. The wireless internet server providesa plurality of internet applications from a content provider to a numberof users through a telephone interface, the wireless internet serverfurther providing identification and usage information to a transactionbilling system. The transaction billing system receives theidentification and usage information from the wireless internet server,and formats the identification and usage information into a transactionrecord compatible with an existing carrier billing platform, wherein thetransaction billing system also transmits the transaction record to theexisting carrier billing platform.

[0006] One embodiment, among others, of the present invention providesmethods of billing clients for use of a service. A representativemethod, among others, can include the following steps: providing aserver operable to transfer internet data to a mobile user; tracking atime period associated with the usage of the server by the mobile user;formatting a transaction record associated with the mobile userincluding the time period; and, sending the transaction record to abilling platform.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The invention can be better understood with reference to thefollowing drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarilyto scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating theprinciples of the present invention. Moreover, in the drawings, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews.

[0008]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment, among others, of thepresent invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment, among others, of thepresent invention.

[0010]FIG. 3A is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart of a methodused by the system of FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 3B is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart of a methodused by the system of FIG. 1.

[0012]FIG. 4 is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart illustratingthe method used for e-mail delivery to short message service telephoneson the system of FIG. 1.

[0013]FIG. 5 is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart illustratingthe method used for e-mail delivery over voice on the system of FIG. 1.

[0014]FIG. 6 is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart of personalinformation manager application delivery over short message service onthe system of FIG. 1.

[0015]FIG. 7 is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart of personalinformation manager application delivery over voice on the system ofFIG. 1.

[0016]FIG. 8 is an embodiment, among others, of an illustration of asample screen shot of a public web interface provided by the system ofFIG. 1.

[0017]FIG. 9 is an embodiment, among others, of an illustration of asample screen shot of a customized web interface provided by the systemof FIG. 1.

[0018]FIG. 10A is an embodiment, among others, of an illustration of asample screen shot of a public wireless access protocol (WAP) interfaceprovided by the system of FIG. 1 to a WAP enabled device.

[0019]FIG. 10B is an embodiment, among others, of an illustration of asample screen shot of a sign-on WAP interface provided by the system ofFIG. 1 to a WAP enabled device.

[0020]FIG. 10C is an embodiment, among others, of an illustration of asample screen shot of a customized WAP interface provided by the systemof FIG. 1 to a WAP enabled device.

[0021]FIG. 10D is an embodiment, among others, of an illustration of asample screen shot of a customized WAP interface provided by the systemof FIG. 1 to a WAP enabled device.

[0022]FIG. 11A is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart for aregular call process used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact with voicecallers.

[0023]FIG. 11B is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart for afirst call process used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact with voicecallers.

[0024]FIG. 11C is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart for newscontent used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact with voice callers.

[0025]FIG. 11D is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart for sportscontent used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact with voice callers.

[0026]FIG. 11E is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart forweather content used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact with voicecallers.

[0027]FIG. 11F is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart for jokecontent used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact with voice callers.

[0028]FIG. 11G is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart forhoroscope content used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact with voicecallers.

[0029]FIG. 11H is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart forentertainment content used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact withvoice callers.

[0030]FIG. 11I is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart for e-mailcontent used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact with voice callers.

[0031]FIG. 11J is an embodiment, among others, of a flowchart forcalendar content used by the system of FIG. 1 to interact with voicecallers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] The preferred embodiments of the present invention now will bedescribed more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Theinvention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are intended to convey the scope of the invention tothose skilled in the art. Furthermore, all “examples” given herein areintended to be non-limiting.

[0033] Referring now to FIG. 1, shown is a block diagram illustrating anembodiment, among others, of the present invention. The communicationfacilities 100, typically include existing equipment 102 that isoperable to connect to a mobile network 104. The existing equipment 102is typically operable to connect wireless devices 106, 108, 110, 112from different wireless platforms to land line phones, the internet 132,or other wireless devices through the mobile network 104.

[0034] Typically, the existing equipment 102 includes a post-paidbilling platform 114 which tracks per minute usage of the mobile network104. At the end of each billing period (typically one month) thepost-paid billing platform 114 is used to bill each customer based onthe number of billable minutes he or she used. Most existing equipment102 embodiments also contain a pre-paid billing platform 116 whichallows customers to use the mobile network based upon the amount thecustomer has in his or her account. The pre-paid billing platform 116then debits the account based upon the billable minutes used. Eachsystem is also operable to determine the amount of minutes that can bebilled to the customer and the rate at which the customer is billed. Inthe United States the billing relationship is typically a “mobile partypays” billing relationship (both parties paying if both are mobile).This means that virtually all mobile airtime used by a customer will bebilled to the customer. However, in many foreign countries, the billingrelationship is “calling party pays,” which means that the post-paidbilling platform cannot bill the receiver for minutes of calls receivedby a wireless device. Moreover, the carrier cannot bill the callerunless the call is connected, thus bringing about the prevalence ofproviding voice mail in order to connect the call. The billing platformsare typically embodied in software, and one such system that could beused is an APEX Billing System (ABS) available from APEX VoiceCommunications of Sherman Oaks, Calif. Moreover, the carrier can usethese billing platforms to format the billing information to printstatements to provide to its customers.

[0035] The existing equipment 102 can further include an IVR system1118. IVR systems are available from a plethora of vendors, includingLucent Technologies of Murray Hill, N.J. and Alcatel of Paris, France.The IVR system 118 can facilitate interaction between a customer and acustomer service unit 120 in the existing equipment 102. The customerservice unit 120 is typically a software solution that can collectresponses from the customer through the IVR and communicate theseresponses to a customer service representative via a computer 122. Theinteractive voice response system is typically rated to provide 24 voicechannels (T1) in the United States, and is typically rated to provide 30voice channels (E1) overseas. The IVR system provides prompts andreceives responses from the user in order to gather information from theuser to supply to a customer service representative via the customerservice unit 120 and computer 122. The customer service representativecan then interact with the customer and his or her account by changingsettings, adding features, removing features, etc. One skilled in theart will recognize that the customer service unit 122 can also makelimited changes.

[0036] The existing equipment 102 typically also includes a locationdetermination system 124 for wireless devices 106, 108, 110, 112. Thelocation determination system 124 is typically a home location register(HLR) database that keeps track of where all wireless devices 106, 108,110, 112 are at any time, such that an incoming call can be routed tothe cellular tower providing the strongest signal to the wireless device106, 108, 110, 112. The location determination system can keep track ofa wireless device by using GPS, or through a cell-ID associated with thephone as it is tracked through various cells. Typically a wirelessdevice 106, 108, 110, 112 sends a beacon signal to alert a cellulartower (usually a nearest cellular tower) that the device 106, 108, 110,112 is in the cell served by that tower. The cellular tower, in turn,notifies the location determination system 124 of the fact that thewireless device 106, 108, 110, 112 is in the cell corresponding to thatcellular tower. Moreover, the location determination system 124 isoperable to determine which signal is stronger, if the wireless device106, 108, 110, 112 is at the edge of a cell. From this information, thelocation determination system 124 can determine approximately where thewireless device 106, 108, 110, 112 is located.

[0037] The increasing popularity of text messaging means that mostexisting equipment 102 embodiments also includes a short message servicecenter 126. The short message service center (SMSC) 126 is operable toreceive a short message from a short message service enabled wirelessdevice 110 and route the short message to the desired short messageservice enabled recipient. Typically the SMSC will query a home locationregister (HLR) using the mobile identification number to determine themobile switching center (MSC) the destination with which the wirelessdevice is currently associated. The SMSC will then send the message tothe MSC an SMS delivery request. If the wireless device is available,the MSC delivers the message and sends a delivery acknowledgement to theSMSC. Otherwise, the SMSC stores the message until notified by the MSCthat the wireless device is available. An example of such an SMSC isMiLife Short Message Service Center available from Lucent Technologies.

[0038] Another feature that most existing equipment 102 embodimentsinclude is a WAP gateway 128. The WAP gateway 128 allows a WAP enabledwireless device 108 to download web pages from a content provider usinga wireless markup language (WML) via the internet 132. The WML can beinterpreted by a browser included in a WAP enabled device 108 anddisplayed on the screen. Typically these WAP enabled devices 108 such asa phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. can only access websitesthat are designed for use with WAP browsers. As such only a relativelyfew content providers have designed websites specifically for WAPenabled browsers. The WAP gateway 128 is typically a server and isavailable from a plethora of vendors, including Ericsson of Stockholm,Sweden and Nokia of Helsinki, Finland.

[0039] Many phone carriers also double as internet service providers,which can include high-speed wireless connection for a computer 106.Thus, the existing equipment 102 also typically includes a proxy server130 to allow the computer 106 to connect to the internet 132. The proxyserver 130 is operable to route hypertext markup language (HTML) to acomputer 108 with a high-speed wireless internet connection, and servesas a gateway between the mobile network 104 and the internet 132.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present invention, the communicationfacilities 100 can also include a multiple access internet portal 133including a wireless internet server (WIS) 134 which is operable toprovide internet service to a variety of different wireless platforms.In particular, the WIS 134 is operable to receive a request from any ofthe wireless devices 106, 108, 110, 112 for internet content. In oneembodiment, among others, of the present invention, the WIS 134 is basedon two servers (and input server and a processing server), and is acomponent-based distributed processing system designed to interface withthe carrier's existing short message service centers, wireless accessprotocol gateways, proxy servers, voice portals, back office systems,and the content provider. The input server in one embodiment, amongothers, is a ProLiant ML370, while the processing server is a ProLiantDL580, both available from Hewlett-Packard Company of Palo Alto, Calif.Typically, specific software modules can add functionality to interfacewith specific systems or specific services.

[0041] Upon receiving a request for internet content, in one embodiment,among others, of the present invention, the WIS 134 can requestauthentication from the wireless device attempting to access theinternet content. Because the mobile network 104 receives a mobileidentification number (MIN) associated with the wireless device 106,108, 110, 112, the WIS 134, in some embodiments, can receive the MINfrom the mobile network 104 and authenticate a wireless device by askingonly for the password associated with the received MIN. The WIS 134 thenpasses the password along to a centralized authentication system, whichincludes the mobile authentication registration application (MARA) 138and a user database 140. The user database 140 typically includes theMINs for all registered customers, and a password associated with eachMIN. The MARA is typically embodied in software on a server located atthe content provider.

[0042] The user database 140 can also typically include a number offields related to the user. These fields can include the MIN andpassword as indicated above. The database 140 can further include a keyquestion and answer that allows a user to access his or her account inthe event of a lost or forgotten password. The database 140 can alsoinclude the e-mail address for the user, such that the content providerwill access the correct e-mail account. The database 140 can alsoinclude all or some of the following: full name, home city, birth date,gender, marital status, educational level, occupation, income, phonemake and model, wired phone number, home address, interests, andpromotional advertising preferences.

[0043] In one embodiment, among others, the registration process for acustomer takes place over the phone with a customer servicerepresentative on computer 122. The customer service representative canuse a computer 122 to register a customer to use the WIS 134 by addingthe user to the WIS 134 database, which is then uploaded to the MARA138. The customer service representative would typically ask the userfor at least a portion of the information stored in the database 140.Moreover, the customer service representative can also provision theuser for various applications over the wireless portal. Thus, if theuser does not wish to have access to WAP content, the user could alertthe customer service representative to not provision the service forWAP. In alternative embodiments, among others, the customer couldprovision himself or herself with the system via a computer connected tothe internet 106, a WAP enabled phone 108, an SMS enabled phone 110 orvia voice through the IVR 118.

[0044] In one embodiment, among others, of the present invention, theMARA 138 is used to provide a single point log-on to the contentprovider. The WIS 134 can translate authentication requests intoextensible markup language (XML) such that the authentication requestwill be recognized by the MARA 138. This enables a subscriber to accessa variety of applications and databases with only one username andpassword combination. Each subscriber can enter his or her username andpassword in the multiple access internet portal 133 only once persession. The MARA 138 then checks all applications under thesubscriber's personalized profile, and allows them to access allpersonal information (e-mail, instant messaging, personal informationmanager, etc.) in a secure mode, without having to sign in again with adifferent username and password.

[0045] Using the MARA 138 as a single point log-on provides centralizedportal management. Centralized portal management allows centralized useradministration control that extends across multiple web-basedapplications, frees the carrier from developing a complex security,privilege, and personalization technology for each application. The MARA138 also provides a better experience to the user. The better experiencewill encourage the user to continue using the system. Moreover, thesingle log-on can provide the user with access to personalizedinformation.

[0046] After receiving authentication, the MARA 138 will pull a profileassociated with the customer from the database 140 and provide theprofile to a GEN3 system 142 (described below). This profile can containa plethora of personalized information associated with the customer.From this information, the GEN3 system 142 can construct a front-pagefor the user based also upon the platform the customer is using toaccess the WIS 134. The type of platform being used by the user can bedetermined by examining the requests received via the WIS 134, or otheraccess device and sent to the content provider 136. This front-page canbe similar to a Yahoo! or MSN personalized front-page, in that it cancontain personalized news content, business content, weather, travel,sports, etc. Moreover, in one embodiment, among others, of the presentinvention, substantially similar personalized content can be accessedacross each of the platforms connecting to the wireless internet server,and via an ISP 144 not part of the communication facilities 100. Oneskilled in the art will recognize that each wireless device platform isdifferent, and thus cannot display the same personalized content thateach of the other platforms can display. However, the information thatis presented and a general format can be followed to make the user'sexperience relatively seamless across platforms. For example, amongothers, if a user wants to receive sports and business news, but nopolitical news or weather information, such preferences could befollowed in all platforms. In an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention, the user can personalize his or her experience on each of theplatforms independently, such that the information received at eachplatform is not substantially similar.

[0047] In particular, the GEN3 system 142 is operable to receive contentfrom the content hub 146, content feeds 148 and third party applications150, among others. The GEN3 system 142 then collects this content basedupon a profile received from the MARA 138, and translates the contentinto the particular language used by the platform attempting to accessthe information. The content is then provided to the WIS 134, the WAPgateway 128 or the proxy server 130 as requested. Typically, the GEN3 isembodied in software run by a server.

[0048] The content hub 146 is typically an XML based content enginedesigned to acquire and distribute massive amounts of content data tomultiple devices. The content hub 146 provides a system for contentacquisition from various news feeds and other data sources, and it alsohas the capability of sending data back to various entities providedthat XML data schemes exist between the two entities.

[0049] The wireless carrier benefits from a safer data trafficenvironment, and the centralized system frees wireless carriers to focuson their business logic instead of developing or worrying about contentintegration. Without this centralized, shared approach, the portalquickly becomes significantly more complex as applications are added andcontent management becomes overwhelming. The content hub 146 can furtherprovide a content editorial tool. This application can allow the contentprovider 136 the ability to quickly add, change and delete articles fromthe content hub 146, define new categories, add text, and create newstories.

[0050] Typically, SMS and voice content would be sent to the WIS 134,while WML and HTML would be sent to the WAP gateway 128 and proxy server130, respectively. This setup is intended to relieve potentialcongestion at the WIS 134, however, one skilled in the art shouldrecognize that each type of data could be routed through the WIS 134. Inturn, the WIS 134, WAP gateway 128 and proxy server 130 devices send theinformation to the wireless device requesting the content. Moreover, theGEN3 142 is operable to provide access to each of the applicationsresiding on the content provider 136.

[0051] In some embodiments, among others, the WIS 134 is operable toretrieve the personalized profile associated with the user from the MARA138. The WIS 134 can then retrieve internet content from the contentprovider 136, and provide periodic updates via SMS to a wireless device110 throughout the day. Thus, internet content can be pushed to thecustomer according to prior configuration.

[0052] With respect to routing of voice calls to the WIS 134, a voiceportal 152 is added to the multiple access internet portal 133 to handlevoice traffic from the internet. In one embodiment, among others, thevoice portal 152 is equipped with a text to speech feature that allows acustomer to receive information from text sources, which are convertedto speech for the customer. The WIS 134 routes most voice content,however, to reduce traffic, the voice portal 152 can connect directly tothe internet to receive e-mail content. It should be noted that the WIS134 could also be configured to route all traffic. In one embodiment,among others, usage time can be tracked to determine how much to billthe customer for his or her use of the voice portal 152.

[0053] The voice portal typically includes a plurality of hardware andsoftware. For example, among many others, a single E1 system directlyconnected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) can include anSS7 Signaling Server, a single E1 interface Voice Portal PlatformServer, a Nuance Speech Recognition and TTS server located on a CompaqProLiant DL360 server, a web server on an Compaq ML370 server, and anOracle database server, available from Oracle Corp. of Redwood City,Calif. The Nuance Voice Speech Recognition and TTS server is a softwareapplication available from Nuance of Menlo Park, Calif. One skilled inthe art will recognize that there are a plethora of different vendorswho can supply an entire voice portal or various pieces of the voiceportal.

[0054] With respect to internet content via the short message service,the WIS 134 is typically configured to handle all short messaging ofinternet content to a wireless device 110. The WIS 134 can receive acontent request from a wireless device 110 via the short message servicecenter 126. Upon receiving the content request from the wireless device110, the WIS 134 can authenticate a user associated with the wirelessdevice 110 by prompting the user for a password and sending the passwordto the MARA 138. The MARA 138 then instructs the GEN3 142 to send thepersonalized content for the user to the WIS 134. The GEN3 142 thenretrieves the personalized content from the content hub 146 and sendsthe personalized content to the WIS 134. The WIS 134 is operable tostore the personalized content and transmit the personalized content tothe wireless device 110 via the short message service. Because of theshort message service format, the WIS 134 typically provides the userwith a summary of the personalized content available, and stores detailsof the personalized content until a request for detailed content isreceived. Thus, the user is able to navigate through his or herpersonalized content efficiently.

[0055] The multiple access internet portal 133 can also include atransaction billing system (TBS) 154. The TBS 154 can be used to receiveCDRs from the WIS 134, and format the CDRs according to the formatspecified by the particular billing platform used. The TBS 154 canformat the record to either debit a pre-paid account on the pre-paidbilling platform 116, or charge to a customer account on the post-paidbilling platform 114.

[0056] Moreover, the TBS 154, in one embodiment, among others, of thepresent invention can be used to bill different customers differentlybased upon the service to which the customer has subscribed.Furthermore, the TBS 154 can be used to charge customers differentlybased upon the content accessed through the WIS 134. For example, if acustomer wishes to receive real-time stock updates, he or she could paya premium. However, if the customer chooses to receive stock quotes thatare not real time, the TBS 154 could charge the customer based uponnormal or even a discount rate.

[0057] It should be recognized by one skilled in the art, that acustomer may be allowed to use the system without being registered. Inthis instance, the MARA 138 will not recognize the user as a registereduser, but can allow the user to access public information from thecontent provider 136. The WIS 134 will determine whether the customer isa pre-paid or post-paid customer. If the customer is a pre-paidcustomer, the WIS 134 will determine whether enough money remains on thecustomer's account on the pre-paid platform 116 prior to allowing thecustomer to access the service. If the customer is a post-paid customer,the WIS 134 will allow the customer to use the public portion providedby the content provider 136 and bill the customer via the post-paidbilling platform 114. In each instance where the customer is allowed toaccess internet content, the WIS 134 will keep a CDR, and alert the TBS154 of the customer's usage. The TBS 152 will, in turn, format the datareceived from the WIS 134 such that it correctly charges the customeraccount, and is readable by the corresponding billing platform 114, 116.

[0058] Moreover, it should be recognized that in the case of a pre-paidcustomer, that the WIS 134 and TBS 154 will debit the customer's accounton the pre-paid platform 116 incrementally until the customer exits thesystem, or runs out of money in the pre-paid account. Upon running outof money in the account, the WIS 134 can refuse access to the customer.Alternatively, the TBS 154 could prompt the post-paid billing platform114 to begin a billing record for the pre-paid customer upon thepre-paid account funds being exhausted.

[0059] Referring now to FIG. 2, shown is an embodiment, among others, ofthe present invention, in which the multiple access internet portal 133of the communication facilities 100 includes a wireless market place(WMP) system 156. The WMP 156 allows third party content providers oradvertisers 200 to send a message with certain information to themultiple access internet portal 133 and have the messages provided tothe wireless devices 106, 108, 110, 112 without necessitating that thethird party content provider or advertiser invest in the equipmentnecessary to format the message to a standard used by the multipleaccess internet portal 133. Such interfacing equipment can be costly andinefficient to own for most third party content providers andadvertisers 200. The WMP 156, in particular, will provide a portconnected to the internet which will receive a set of rules from thethird party vendor, according to the carrier's security standards, andthe protocol for connecting to the port will be an industry standard.

[0060] In an embodiment, among others, of the present invention, the WIS134 can store a personalized profile associated with a user, and canrefuse a third party content provider or advertiser 200 request to sendcontent to a customer. In this embodiment, the customer could set his orher profile to reject third party content. Thus, upon authenticating himor herself, the WIS 134 could receive the profile associated with thecustomer. Then, when the WIS 134 receives content from a third partycontent provider of advertiser 200, the WIS 134 checks the profile todetermine whether the customer's account is enabled to receive thecontent. If the customer's account is enabled, the message is sent viathe appropriate gateway. Otherwise, the message is rejected by the WIS134 and discarded.

[0061] One skilled in the art should recognize that the TBS 154 couldalso be configured to store usage information and provide periodicdetailed reports outlining the level of usage of the multiple accessinternet portal 133. These reports can be used by the carrier todetermine the level of bandwidth needed to support the multiple accessinternet portal 133 and whether it is cost effective to provide themultiple access internet portal 133 to the customers of the carrier.

[0062] Moreover, the content provider 136 can be given access to theperiodic detailed reports which can show the number of calls received,call detail records (CDRs) for each call, the revenue generated, etc.,from the TBS 154, in order to facilitate a revenue sharing plan with thecontent provider. The revenue sharing plan would typically entail thecarrier collecting the revenues from each of its customers who havesubscribed to and/or used the service. Because the carrier is providingthe customer relationship and most of the dedicated equipment, thecarrier could typically demand a higher percentage of such proceeds thanthe content provider in a revenue sharing plan. Such a revenue sharingplan would allow the carriers to efficiently provide internet serviceand content to their customers. To provide this internet service, thecarrier 136 would merely invest in the multiple access internet portal133 equipment and let the content provider 136 create content for themultiple access internet portal 133. Under the plan, the contentprovider 133 could continue to operate a standard multiple accessinternet portal for standard internet users connecting via an ISP 144,while creating new content to provide to the carrier's customers. Thus,the content provider could be assured of having an audience among thecarrier's customer base, and the carrier would not be required to createcontent or license content from a content provider without a means toaccurately charge its customers.

[0063] Referring back to FIG. 1, the content provider can also include anumber of centralized applications that can be made available to theuser. These applications can include, among many others: an emailapplication 162, a personal information manager (PIM) 164, an instantmessaging application 166, a chat application 168, a commerceapplication 170 and a location application 172.

[0064] Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, shown is a flowchart forincoming requests to the communication facilities 100 multiple accessinternet portal 133. With respect to FIG. 3A, in step 300, the portal158 receives a call from a customer interested in the multiple accessinternet portal 133 services. The portal then prompts the customer tochoose the platform with which he or she wishes to access the portal, asshown in step 302. In one example, among others, the choices for theaccess platforms are generally split into voice access and WAP, SMS andweb access.

[0065] If the customer chooses to access the system via a WAP, SMS orweb interface, the multiple access internet portal 133 will prompt theuser to make a choice about which services the customer wishes toaccess, internet or applications, as shown in step 304. If the customerwishes to access application information, the carrier will begin thevalidation process for new service, as shown in step 306. In step 308,the carrier will populate the customer database in the WIS 134 with theservices requested. The WIS 134 then synchronizes with the MARA 138 bytransmitting the new information to the MARA 138, as shown in step 310.The MARA 138 provisions an account for the user for the e-mailapplication 162 and PIM application 164, as shown in step 112, andprovisions any other service requested by the customer in step 314. TheMARA 138 then sends confirmation of the provisioning to the customer, asshown in step 316. The customer can then access the application servicesfor the first time, as shown in step 318. One skilled in the art shouldrecognize that for a user that is not connecting to the system for thefirst time, the system can merely authenticate the user and provide theapplication services based upon the services for which the customer hadpreviously been provisioned. If the customer has requested a service notpreviously provisioned, the carrier can provision him or heraccordingly.

[0066] If the customer previously selected internet information in step304, the multiple access internet portal 133 prompts the customerwhether he or she wishes to access personalized information, as shown instep 320. If the customer does not wish to access personalizedinformation, the multiple access internet portal 133 could provideaccess to a public website that is not personalized, as shown in step322. If the customer does want access to personalized information, themultiple access internet portal 133 sends the multiple access internetportal webpage to authenticate the customer, as shown in step 324. TheMARA 138 then validates the customer as shown in step 326. If thecustomer enters an incorrect password, the MARA 138 sends an errormessage to the customer, as shown in step 328. If the customer entersthe correct password, the customer is offered the ability to personalizethe information sent to the SMS or WAP device 110, 108, as shown in step330. The customer then has access to the internet service, as shown instep 332.

[0067] Referring now to FIG. 3B, shown is a flowchart resulting fromwhen a customer chooses to access the multiple access internet portal133 using the voice portal 152. Following the flag 334 of FIG. 3A, thecustomer starts to access the multiple access internet portal 133services via the voice portal, as shown in step 336. The voice portaldetermines if this is the caller's first access to the voice portal instep 338. If it is the caller's first access to the portal 158, thevoice portal provides the customer the opportunity to record his or hername for later greeting, as shown in step 340, and proceeds to retrievethe caller's MIN and profile from the MARA 158, as shown in step 3422.If the customer has called the voice portal before, the voice portalproceeds with step 342. The multiple access internet portal 133 thendetermines whether the customer is a registered customer, as shown instep 344. If the customer is not a registered customer, the multipleaccess internet portal 133 provides access to the public informationavailable, as shown in step 346.

[0068] If the customer is a registered customer, the multiple accessinternet portal 133 prompts the user whether he or she would like accessto applications over the portal 158, as shown in step 348. If thecustomer requests access to the applications over the portal 158, theportal 158 prompts the customer for his or her password, as shown instep 350. The MARA 138 then validates the customer to determine whetherthe password is valid, as shown in step 352. If the password is invalid,the portal 158 sends an error message to the user in step 354 andreturns to step 350. If the password is correct, the voice portalretrieves e-mail/PIM information, in accordance with step 356, andprovides the customer with access to the service as shown in step 358.If the customer does not wish to access applications over the portal158, at step 348, the multiple access internet portal 133 provides thecustomer access to public and personal internet information, as shown instep 360.

[0069] One skilled in the art should understand that the password andMIN could be provided by the user at the beginning of the call in orderto authenticate the user for all services for which he or she has beenprovisioned. Thus, a thief could not steal a wireless device and gainaccess to any of the personalized information contained therein. In theembodiment outlined above, however, a business decision was made toallow access to the internet information without authenticating theuser, since more sensitive information is included within theapplications as opposed to the internet.

[0070] Referring now to FIG. 4, shown is a flowchart of an e-maildelivery to an SMS phone. The e-mail application 162 can provide ane-mail account to the user. The e-mail account will be accessible fromhis/her telephone (both mobile and fixed landline) or through aninternet-connected computer 106. Providing an e-mail application 162through a telephone carrier that can be accessed from multiple platformscan be an inexpensive way for a customer to have an e-mail account,without requiring a computer or an ISP.

[0071] When an e-mail message is sent to an SMS enabled phone 110, thee-mail application 162 first receives the message, as shown in step 400.Delivery of an e-mail message to a customer on an SMS phone depends onthe options the user has setup with the content provider, as shown instep 405. If the customer has not setup a web mailbox, a messagereceived by the system will be directed to the WIS 134, as shown in step410. The WIS 134 will then associate the message with a customer's MINand the customer's class of service as provisioned by the carrier uponregistration, as shown in step 415. If the customer is not provisionedto receive SMS e-mail, the message is undelivered, as shown in step 420.If the customer is provisioned, the WIS 134 will truncate the message iflonger than 150 characters as defined by an SMS standard and send themessage to the SMSC, as shown in step 425. The SMSC 126 will thenattempt to deliver the message to the recipient, as shown in step 430.The SMSC will determine if the phone is available, in step 435, anddeliver the message in step 440 if the phone is available. If the phoneis not available, the WIS 134 will allow the message to be retried untila pre-set timeout if the SMS phone 110 cannot be reached, as shown instep 445. If there is a timeout in attempting to deliver the message,the message will go undelivered, as shown in step 420.

[0072] If the customer has setup a web mailbox, the e-mail application162 will receive an e-mail message and check the options which the userhas setup with regard to the e-mail application 162, as shown in step450. These options could indicate that certain messages be deliveredwhile others are stored at the content provider, that all messages aredelivered, or that all messages are stored. As shown in step 455 themessages will be stored if the options are such that they do not allowdelivery to the SMS phone. The MARA 138 will update the customer profileto indicate the presence of new mail. If the options allow the deliveryof the messages, the e-mail application 162 will send the messages tothe WIS 134 if they are to be delivered upon receipt, as shown in step460. The WIS 134 will then associate the message with a MIN for therecipient and the customer's class of service as provisioned by thecarrier upon registration, as shown in step 465. If the customer's classof service does not allow for delivery of the message, the message willremain undelivered, as shown in step 420. The WIS 134 will then forwardthe message to the SMSC 126, truncating the message if it is longer than150 characters, as shown in step 470, and the SMSC will attempt todeliver the message in step 475. The SMSC then determines whether theSMS phone 110 is available in step 435. If the SMS phone 110 isavailable, the message is delivered, as shown in step 440. If the SMSphone 110 is unavailable, the WIS 134 will allow the SMSC to continueattempting to deliver the message until a preset timeout if the SMSphone 110 is not available, as shown in step 445.

[0073] One skilled in the art should understand that an SMS phone couldrespond to e-mail by sending a text message back to the originatingmobile number. Moreover, the WIS 134 and e-mail application 162 could bemade operable to route a text message from a mobile phone to a standard(non-mobile) e-mail address. Thus, a customer could reply to a receivedmessage by sending a text message back to the WIS 134.

[0074] Referring now to FIG. 5, shown is a flowchart for receivinge-mail messages via the voice portal. With regard to step 500, thee-mail application 162 waits to receive e-mail. Upon receiving e-mail,the e-mail application 162 updates the MARA 138 to indicate that newmail is present, as shown in step 505. In step 510, the system waits toreceive a voice call from a customer associated with the e-mail address.When a voice call is received from the customer corresponding to themessage, the customer is authenticated in step 515 by the WIS 134 andMARA 138. After the customer has connected to the voice portal 152, thecustomer can request access to his or her e-mail from the e-mailapplication 162. The voice portal 152 will then call the e-mailapplication 162 via the internet in step 520 and download the customer'se-mail to the voice portal, as shown in step 525. The voice portal 152will then use text to language (TTL) technology to play the messageheaders to the customer, as shown in step 530. The voice portal 152 thenprompts the customer to choose a message in step 535. If the customerchooses a message, the voice portal plays the message to the customerusing TTL, as shown in step 540, and then returns to step 530. If thecustomer does not choose to listen to the message, the voice portalprompts the customer to determine if he or she wishes to exit, as shownin step 545. If the customer wishes to exit, the voice portal 152returns to the personalized front-page menu for the customer, as shownin step 550. However, if the customer does not wish to exit, the messageheaders can be played again in accordance with step 530.

[0075] One skilled in the art should recognize that after sending thecustomer a chosen message in step 540, there could be included anotherstep which prompts the customer with several actions that could beperformed in response to the message. A few examples, among others, ofthese actions could include saving the message, deleting the message, orreplying to the message. Upon receiving a response to the prompt, thevoice portal could perform the action specified by the customer. If thecustomer wishes to reply to the message, the voice portal could beconfigured to prompt the user to record a reply. The reply could theneither be converted to text, or could be sent as an audio attachment tothe message.

[0076] It should be recognized by one skilled in the art that receivinge-mail via a web browser can be provided in a similar manner to currentweb based e-mail programs. Moreover, WAP browsers can be provided in asimilar manner to current WAP e-mail programs. Specifically, the GEN3will receive a request from the customer for e-mail, and retrieve thee-mail from the e-mail application 162. The GEN3 can then generate anHTML or WML version of an e-mail page to send to the customer.

[0077] Referring now to FIG. 6, shown is a flowchart illustrating thesequence of an SMS phone 110 receiving PIM 164 information. The PIM 164is similar to a personal digital assistant (PDA). The PIM 164 can keep acalendar for the customer notifying him or her of appointments,meetings, deadlines, etc. The PIM 164 can also keep an address book forcontacts the customer wishes to store. As one skilled in the art shouldrecognize, other functions can be added to the PIM 164 without alteringthe scope of the present invention. Moreover, the location of the PIM164 on a central server allows the customer to access his or hercalendar from any of the platforms supported by the carrier.

[0078] As the first step 600, the customer configures the calendarinformation inside the web interface for the PIM 164. Once scheduledappointments are due, as shown in step 605, the PIM 164 will send analert to the MARA 138, in step 610, which will, in turn, be passed tothe WIS 134, in step 615. The WIS 134 will then inform the MIN of thealert, as shown in step 620. The WIS 134 will then check a class ofservice associated with the MIN as shown in step 625. If the class ofservice does not allow automatic deliver of messages, the message willremain undelivered as shown in step 630. If the class of service allowsdelivery of the message, the WIS 134 will send the message to the SMSC126, as shown in step 635. The SMSC 126 will determine whether the SMSphone 110 is available in step 640. If the SMS phone 110 is notavailable, the WIS will allow delivery to be attempted until a presettimeout, as shown in step 645. After the timeout period expires, themessage will remain undelivered. If the phone 110 is available themessage will be delivered, as shown in step 650.

[0079] Referring now to FIG. 7, shown is a flowchart illustrating thedelivery of PIM 164 information via a voice call. In the first step 700,the customer configures his or her calendar via a webpage interface forthe PIM application 164. The system then waits for a voice call from thecustomer, as shown in step 705. In step 710, the system interacts withthe customer via the personalized front-page associated with the user.This front-page could include a prompt from the MARA indicating that anappointment time is due. The user is then able to select whether toaccess the PIM 164, as shown in step 715. The voice portal 152 calls thePIM 164, as shown in step 720, and retrieves PIM 164 informationassociated with the customer, as shown in step 725. The voice portal 152then sends the header information to the customer using TTL, as shown instep 730. The customer is then prompted to choose which message tolisten to, as shown in step 735. In step 740, if the customer makes achoice, the chosen message is played to the customer using TTL. Thevoice portal then plays the message headers again, in accordance withstep 730. If the customer does not make a choice, the voice portal 152prompts the customer to determine if he or she wishes to exit the PIM,as shown in step 745. If the customer wishes to exit, the voice portalreturns the customer to the personalized front-page, as shown in step750. One skilled in the art should recognize that the system could bemodified to notify the user when an event comes due by sending an alertto the WIS 134 and having the voice portal call the customer and play areminder. Furthermore, the information entered to the calendar need notbe entered through the web display, but could be entered over the phonevia an IVR menu system. Thus, reminders can also be recorded as .wav (orother suitable audio file format) and replayed to the user without usingTTL technology.

[0080] One skilled in the art should understand that receiving PIM 164information via a web browser can be provided in a similar manner tocurrent web based PIM applications. Moreover, WAP browsers can beprovided in a similar manner to current WAP based PIM applications.Specifically, the GEN3 142 could receive a request from the customer forPIM information, and retrieve the calendar from the PIM application 164.The GEN3 142 can then generate an HTML or WML version of a calendar pageto send to the customer.

[0081] Referring back to FIG. 1, the instant messaging application 166typically allows users to send messages back and forth to one another in“real-time.” Instant messaging applications 166 allow a user tocommunicate with another user who does not have a mechanism to transmitvoice, or a user who merely does not wish to talk. Instant messagingapplications 166 are somewhat similar to the text-messaging present inphones today. However, there is presently no system that allows instantmessaging to communicate with phone users as well as computer users.Moreover, the centralized instant messaging application 166 could allowcustomers using different instant messaging clients to communicateregardless of the incompatibilities across different clients. Thecustomer would typically initiate the instant messaging application 166.However, in some embodiments, among others, the user can choose to benotified via the instant messenger when they receive new e-mail, forwardinstant messages to their cell phone or page, and specify the type ofcontent to be displayed.

[0082] With respect to the chat application 168, the chat application168 is much like internet chat and instant messaging applicationspresently existing. It allows multiple users to connect in a chat roomto discuss whatever topic they would like to discuss. One skilled in theart should understand that typically the customer would initiate use ofthis application 168 during an internet session.

[0083] With regard to the commerce application 170, the commerceapplication 170 will allow a customer to make purchases and paymentsover the internet. This application 170 can allow the user to savepurchasing information and addressing online. This application 170 canreduce the necessity to enter the same information every time a buy ismade on the customer's behalf. Moreover, this application 170 couldinterface with the pre-paid or post-paid billing platforms 116, 114 andcharge the customer's account upon a purchase or payment.

[0084] With respect to the location application 172, the locationapplication 172 can provide useful information to the customer based onthe customer's location. The location is determined by the locationdetermination system 124 discussed previously. Some such usefulinformation in localized form might include weather, restaurants,nightlife, maps, gas stations, etc.

[0085] Referring now to FIG. 8, shown is an illustration of a samplescreen shot of an embodiment, among others, of the web interface 800 ofthe present invention. The web interface shown is the portion of the webinterface 800 that the general public is typically allowed to access. Ifthe user wishes to access personalized information, he or she can entera user identification into the user id field 802 and his or her passwordinto the password field 804. All of the public information shown on thepublic web interface 800 will be accessible to every user who has signedon to the system, as well as personalized information.

[0086] If the user has forgotten his or her password, a link 806 isprovided through which the user can retrieve his or her password.Typically, this link would lead to a page at which the user is promptedto answer a secret question. In order for the MARA 138 to retrieve thepassword, the user's answer to the question must match the answer storedin the database 140. Upon entering the correct answer to the question,the user can be provided with his or her password through the webinterface, or via e-mail, phone, etc.

[0087] One skilled in the art should recognize that the content providercould provide for both registered users and casual users. A registereduser would be a user who is provisioned to use at least one of thewireless devices to access his or her personalized information. A casualuser would be a user who merely enjoys the web interface provided by thecontent provider, and personalizes the web interface, but is notprovisioned to access the personalized information via a wirelessdevice.

[0088] The public web interface 800 can typically provide a searchengine where the user can enter a string of alpha-numeric charactersinto the search field 808, and select the start search representation810 using a mouse (or other selection tool) to search the internet forthe string. Alternative embodiments, among others, of the search enginecould provide a search of a specific area of the internet or the portalitself.

[0089] The public web interface 800 typically also provides a helpscreen. The help screen can be accessed by the user through selectingthe help representation 812. The help screen can be used by the user toaccess a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page, can access a plethora oftopics upon which help is available, or could provide contactinformation for a customer service representative to assist in solvingthe user's problem.

[0090] The public web interface 800 can typically also provide a link814 to a site map of the content provider. The site map can assist usersin navigating the website. This feature is especially convenient whenthe user wishes to access a specific feature, and has forgotten thelocation of the feature, and for new users to explore the availablefeatures of the content provider.

[0091] The public web interface 800 can also offer further informationabout the multiple access internet portal 133, such as helping usersregister with the service through the activate services buttonrepresentation 816. Rate plans for the plan can be accessed by selectingthe rate plan button representation 818. The user can also choose to buypre-paid web card by selecting the buy pre-paid web card buttonrepresentation 820. Each of these linked web pages will provide moreinformation about the service to public and casual users of the website,as well as registered users.

[0092] Another service provided by the public web interface 800 couldinclude a shopping page linked by a shopping button representation 822.The shopping page would allow users to consummate online transactionswith various third party vendors or with the content provider orcarrier. Online shopping has become an increasingly popular way toincrease revenue for business while decreasing capital expendituresrequired to operate a so-called brick-and-mortar storefront. Moreover,online shopping provides greater convenience for buyers who do not wishto travel to a storefront, or who wish to shop at hours during which astorefront would normally be closed for business.

[0093] The public web interface 800 could further provide a user withaccess to online services through an online services buttonrepresentation 824. Some of these online services can include, amongmany others, viewing account balances, summarized call detail records,billing statements, pay bills online, advise clients on the propercalling plan, etc. These online services would facilitate customerinteraction with the carrier, providing more flexible options to theuser in interacting with the carrier.

[0094] The public web interface 800 would also provide a genericnon-personalized news section accessible to all users. On a personalizedpage, this news section would be organized and customized to the user'sspecification. Typically, the non-personalized news section couldprovide the latest headlines section 826, sports news section 828, andinternational news 830 section to the user. Under the latest headlinessection 826, the public web interface 800 could provide a first headline832 associated with a first news story. The public web interface 800could also provide a summary 834 associated with the first news story.Similarly, the public web interface 800 could provide a second headline836 and summary 838 associated with a second news story. One skilled inthe art should recognize that there could be any number of headlinestories shown on the public web interface 800, and that alternatively,the user could select the latest headline to receive the headlines andsummaries of the latest news stories. Furthermore, the headlines couldinclude pictures next to the headlines in some embodiments, amongothers, of the public web interface 800.

[0095] With regard to the sports news section 828 and the internationalnews section 830, the public web interface could be configured to merelyshow the headlines 840, 842 associated with the respective section newsstories. One skilled in the art should understand that these sectionscould also include summaries and/or pictures associated with therespective headlines. Moreover, the sections 828, 830 could merely linkto a sports news or international new page, respectively. Further, oneskilled in the art should recognize that all of these categories couldbe user configurable on a personalized front-page. For example, amongothers, sports news sections 828 and international news sections 830could be replaced or supplemented by a plethora of other categories ofnews, and each of these is intended to be within the scope of the publicweb interface 800.

[0096] Near the login fields 802, 804, the public web interface 800could further contain links to help the user with the login process. Aregistration link representation 844 could be provided which would guidethe user to a registration page upon the user selecting the registrationlink representation 844. At the registration page the user could beprompted to enter personal information such as name, home number,cellular number, address, devices to be included on the service, etc.Another useful link to locate next to the login fields 802, 804 would bea newly provisioned user link representation 846. This linkrepresentation 846 when selected would take a user that has beenprovisioned to the service, but is a first time visitor, to a page wherethe user could enter information regarding which devices the user wishesto include on the service, along with providing a password, andpersonalizing the content for the user.

[0097] Another application, which could be included in some embodiments,among others, of the public web interface 800, could include a shortmessage service application. The application could include a sendmessage representation 848. The send message representation 848 wouldinclude a field representation 850 for the user to enter the number ofthe receiving wireless device. The send message representation 848 wouldalso include a composition field representation 852, which would allowthe user to compose the message to a recipient. Further, the sendmessage representation 848 could include a field representation for thesender's name 854, and contact number 856. Upon completing these fields,the user could select to send the message using the send buttonrepresentation 858. At any time during the composition process that theuser decides not to send the message, the user can select a clear buttonrepresentation 860, which will cause the short message serviceapplication to clear all of the fields 850, 852, 854, 856 associatedwith the short message service application.

[0098] Further service that could be included on the public webinterface 800 include a weather representation 862 and a horoscoperepresentation 864. The weather representation 862 could provide a linkto a page where the user could enter a city or postal code to determinethe local weather in that city or postal code. One skilled in the artmight also recognize that the location of the user might be roughlydetermined according to the internet protocol (IP) address from whichthe user is accessing the website, or the location of the last relaynode before hitting the user. Alternatively, the content provider couldchoose a large city, or a number of large cities, or the capital of itshome country to display by default. With regard to the horoscoperepresentation 864, the horoscope representation could provide a userwith the horoscope corresponding to the current date. Moreover, thehoroscope representation could provide a link to more detailed horoscopeinformation, and allow the user to enter his or her birth date, and geta personalized horoscope based upon the user's birth date. One skilledin the art should recognize that there are numerous other generalizedrepresentations that could be displayed on the front page of a publicweb interface 800, such as, but not limited to, movie releases, stockquotes, travel information, etc.

[0099] Another set of links that could be provided on the public webinterface 800, include short-cuts to personalized web applications thatcan be accessed by registered users. Such short-cuts could include ahomepage representation 866 which, when selected by the user, will takea user to his or her personalized front-page after receiving a useridentification and password from the user. Another such short-cut couldinclude an instant messaging representation 868 which, when selected bya user, would launch an instant messaging session after receiving a useridentification and password from the user. The short-cuts could alsoinclude an e-mail representation 870 which, when selected by a user,could either launch an e-mail application on the user's machine or takethe user to the user's web mailbox after receiving a user identificationand password from the user. A PIM representation 872 could also beincluded in the short-cuts available to registered users. Upon selectionof the PIM representation 872 the user could retrieve his or her addressbook, calendar, and other personal information upon providing a useridentification and password. Another application that could be includedin the short-cuts available to registered users is the chat applicationrepresentation 874. Upon selecting the chat application representation874, the user will be taken to a chat website facilitated by a chatapplication on the content provider after providing a useridentification and password.

[0100] The public web interface 800 could also include an advertisingspace representation 876 for the content provider, carrier, or thirdparty vendor. The advertising space representation 876 could be linkedto a website corresponding to the person sponsoring the ad containedwithin the advertising space representation 876. Upon selecting theadvertising space representation 876 so linked, the user would be takento the website corresponding with the advertiser. Advertising revenuefor content providers has typically been instrumental in the contentprovider's ability to provide a plethora of services to users. However,using the revenue sharing structure outlined above, the advertisingrevenue from the advertising space can also be split between the contentprovider and the wireless carrier. One skilled in the art shouldrecognize that a number of sets of advertising space representationscould be included on the public web interface 800, and that theinclusion of a single space is not meant to limit the interface 800 tohaving one advertising space representation 876.

[0101] Referring now to FIG. 9, shown is an illustration of a customizedscreen in an embodiment, among others, of the present invention. Afterlogging onto the system, the user receives a customized screen 900. Thescreen can include, among others, a welcome message to the user 905,which could include the number of new messages contained stored in theuser's inbox. The customized screen 900 could also include a summary ofthe devices 910 which the user has enabled to access information via themultiple access internet portal 133. In this example, the devicesinclude a WAP enabled phone 915 and an SMS enabled phone 920. Thecustomized screen 900 would typically also include a personalized newssection 925, which provides a plurality of headlines 930, 935, 940. Eachof the headlines 930, 935, 940 would typically have a short summary 945,950, 955, following the respective headline.

[0102] The customized screen would further include a “My Preferences”representation 960, which could be selected by the user to view theuser's preferences. In this section the user could rearrange portions ofthe customized screen 900, select new content to be displayed in the MyNews representation 925, and otherwise customize the user's experiencewith the multiple access internet portal 133 across a variety ofplatforms. The user could also select the exit representation 965 inorder to log off of the multiple access internet portal 133.

[0103] Returning to the “My Devices” section representation 910, eachdevice can be selected to edit using the respective edit optionrepresentation 970, 975. At these edit screens the user can customizethe options available to the respective wireless devices from themultiple access internet portal 133. Furthermore, with respect to SMSdevices, the user can specify what types of updates he or she wishes toreceive at the SMS device, and how often he or she wishes to receiveupdates. The user can delete the devices listed in the “My Devices”section representation 910 by selecting the respective deleterepresentation 980, 985. The user can add another device by selectingthe “Add New Device” link representation 990. Upon selecting the “AddNew Device” link representation 990, the user will be taken to a setupscreen which will allow the user to specify a name for the device, atype for the device, and an e-mail address (or other attributes)associated with the device.

[0104] Referring now to FIG. 10A, shown is an illustration of a samplescreen shot from a WAP enabled wireless device 1000 using the system ofFIG. 2. An initial screen could allow the user to choose to accesspersonalized information by entering selecting a “My BellSouth”representation 1002. Alternatively, the user could select to view publicnews, or send SMS messages with the “News” representation 1004 and “SendSMS” representation 1006, respectively. The user can move the selectionarrow representation 1008 over the option he or she wishes to select byusing the scroll key 1010. Upon arriving at the option that the userwishes to choose, he or she can use the selection key 1012 to use theselect representation 1014 to select the option highlighted by the arrowrepresentation. Alternatively, the user could use selection key 1016 toselect the exit representation 1018 to exit the system.

[0105] Referring now to FIG. 10B, shown is a screen shot of the wirelessdevice 1000 after selecting the “My BellSouth” option representation1002 (FIG. 10A). Here the user can be required to enter a user id intothe user id field 120. The user id is typically the user's mobile numberand is entered in field 122. Alternatively, the system can detect themobile number and pre-populate the user id field 120. The user is alsoprompted by the system to enter a password into the password field 124.The user may then enter his or her password 126 in order for the systemto authenticate the request. Upon finishing, the user can select the“OK” representation 128 using the selection button 1012. Alternatively,the user can select the exit representation 1030 using the selectionbutton 1016.

[0106] Referring now to FIG. 10C, shown is a screen shot of the wirelessdevice 1000 after the user has been authenticated. The user can nowselect a “Personalized News” option representation 1032 or “Send SMS”option representation 1034. Again, to select an option the user movesthe arrow representation 1036 over the desired option with the scrollkey 1010, and uses the select representation 1038 by pressing the selectkey 1012. The user could also exit the system using the exitrepresentation 1040 by pressing the selection key 1016. One skilled inthe art should recognize that the user may be allowed to see moreoptions by scrolling to a second page (not shown). Moreover, thepersonalized information retrievable from the wireless device would besubstantially similar to the information retrievable via the world wideweb.

[0107] Referring now to FIG. 10D, shown is a screen shot of the wirelessdevice 1000 after the user has selected to view the “Personalized News”option representation 1032 (FIG. 10C). The user now has the option tochoose among an “Economy” option representation 1042, an “Entertainment”option representation 1044, and a “Sports” option representation 1046.Again the user has the option of using the arrow representation 1048 incombination with the scroll key 1010 and selection key 1012 to select toview a particular option using the select representation 1050.Alternatively, the user can press a number on the mobile device keypad1052 to select any of the options. The user can also choose to exit thesystem by selecting the exit representation 1054 with the selection key1016.

[0108] One skilled in the art should recognize that there are aninfinite number of alternative ways in which to display and order theinformation. In one such alternative, among others, the initial screencould require a password to access the system. Moreover, one skilled inthe art should recognize that the particular screens shown vary widelybetween devices in terms of capability to display information andgraphics.

[0109] One skilled in the art should recognize that any of the optionsshown in FIG. 9A could be included in the personalized screens of thewireless device 1000, including: latest headlines, sports, internationalnews, weather and horoscope. Moreover, the personalized screens of thewireless device 1000 could include e-mail, calendar, or other securedapplications.

[0110] Referring now to FIGS. 11A-11J, shown is a more detailed voicecall flowchart of the system of FIG. 2. With respect to FIG. 11A, thevoice portal welcomes the user in step 1100. In step 1101, the voiceportal determines if the call is from a customer that has not used thevoice portal before. This can typically be determined by detecting thephone number of the calling wireless device, or by prompting the user totell the voice portal if it is his or her first time using the voiceportal. If it is the user's first time using the voice portal, the useris sent to a first call process 1102.

[0111] Referring now to FIG. 11B, shown is the first call process for anew user. In step 1103, the user is prompted to say his or her name. Thevoice portal records the user's name in step 1104, and plays the user'sname back in step 1105. The voice portal then prompts the user toconfirm the recording in step 1106. If the user does not confirm therecording, the voice portal returns to step 1103 to re-record. If theuser confirms the recording, the voice portal prompts the user in step1107 to determine whether he or she would like to personalize theservices of the voice portal. If the user does not wish to personalizethe services, the user will return to the regular call process 1108. Ifthe user wishes to personalize his or her service, the voice portalallows the user to personalize the service in step 1109. Specifically,the personalization step 1109 could prompt the user to decide what typesof services and information he or she would like to be available to thedevice. After personalization, the voice portal prompts the user toconfirm the personalization in step 1110. If the personalization is notconfirmed, the user returns to step 1109 to personalize the service.However, if the personalization is confirmed, the user will return tothe regular call process 1108.

[0112] Returning to FIG. 11A, the voice portal alerts the user to aplurality of universal commands. These commands include help, main menu,cancel, exit, and location. One skilled in the art should recognize thatthe user can select these universal commands at any time during thecall, and the voice portal will interrupt the current process and sendthe user to the selected universal command. In step 1112, the voiceportal prompts the user to choose any of a number of subjects.Typically, these subjects can include, among many others: news, sports,weather, jokes, horoscope, entertainment, e-mail, and calendar, amongothers. Moreover, these subjects are typically the same subjectsavailable via the web, WAP, and SMS interfaces. Furthermore, it shouldbe recognized by one of skill in the art that the user could configurethe process at the web interface to limit the subjects/applicationsavailable to the user through the voice.

[0113] In step 1113, the voice portal determines if the user hasselected to hear news. If the user has selected to hear news, the voiceportal sends the user to the news page 1114. Referring now to FIG. 11C,the voice portal can prompt the user to choose local, international,political, technological, or business news in step 1115. The voiceportal then determines if the user has chose local news in step 1116. Ifthe user has chosen local news, the voice portal retrieves the localnews and plays it back to the user in step 1117. The voice portal thenprompts the user whether or not he or she would like to return to themain menu in step 1118. If the user wishes to return to the main menu,the voice portal returns to the regular call process 1108. If the userwishes to remain in the news section 1114, the voice portal returns tostep 1115.

[0114] If the user did not choose local news in step 1116, the voiceportal determines whether the user chose international news in step1120. If the user chose international news, the voice portal retrievesinternational news in step 1117 and plays it back to the user. Afterplaying the international news to the user, the voice portal prompts theuser if he or she would like to return to the main menu in step 1118.The voice portal returns to the regular call process 1108 in step 1119,if the user chooses to return to the main menu. Otherwise, the voiceportal prompts the user to choose a type of news in step 1115.

[0115] If the user did not choose international news in step 1120, thevoice portal determines whether the user chose political news in step1121. If the user chose political news, the voice portal retrievespolitical news in step 1117 and plays it back to the user. After playingthe political news to the user, the voice portal prompts the user if heor she would like to return to the main menu in step 1118. The voiceportal returns to the regular call process 1108 in step 1119, if theuser chooses to return to the main menu. Otherwise, the voice portalprompts the user to choose a type of news in step 1115.

[0116] If the user did not choose political news in step 1121, the voiceportal determines whether the user chose technological news in step1122. If the user chose technological news, the voice portal retrievestechnological news in step 1117 and plays it back to the user. Afterplaying the technological news to the user, the voice portal prompts theuser if he or she would like to return to the main menu in step 1118.The voice portal returns to the regular call process 1108 in step 1119,if the user chooses to return to the main menu. Otherwise, the voiceportal prompts the user to choose a type of news in step 1115.

[0117] If the user did not choose technological news in step 1122, thevoice portal determines whether the user chose extra news in step 1123.If the user chose extra news, the voice portal determines whether thereis any extra news available in step 1124, and plays it back to the userin step 1117 if there is extra news available. If there is no extra newsavailable, the voice portal alerts the user in step 1125. After eitherplaying the extra news to the user or alerting the user that there is noextra news, the voice portal prompts the user if he or she would like toreturn to the main menu in step 1118. The voice portal returns to theregular call process 1108 in step 1119, if the user chooses to return tothe main menu. Otherwise, the voice portal prompts the user to choose atype of news in step 1115.

[0118] If the user did not choose extra news in step 1123, the voiceportal determines whether the user chose business news in step 1126. Ifthe user chose business news, the voice portal retrieves business newsin step 1127 and plays it back to the user. After playing the businessnews to the user, the voice portal prompts the user if he or she wouldlike to return to the main menu in step 1118. The voice portal returnsto the regular call process 1108 in step 1119, if the user chooses toreturn to the main menu. Otherwise, the voice portal prompts the user tochoose a type of news in step 1115. One skilled in the art shouldrecognize that further functionality could be added to business news,such that the user could retrieve specialized stock quotes, economicnews, and company specific news, among others.

[0119] Referring again to FIG. 1A, if the user did not select news, thevoice portal determines if the user selected sports in step 1128. If theuser selected sports, the voice portal retrieves the sports page 1129.Referring now to FIG. 11D, the voice portal prompts the user to choose acategory of sports news in step 1130. The categories can include, amongmany others: soccer, racing, tennis, headlines, and special events,among others. The voice portal then determines if the user has selectedsoccer in step 1131. If the user selected soccer, the voice portalretrieves soccer news and plays the news to the user in step 1132. Ifthe user selected racing, in accordance with step 1133, the voice portalretrieves racing news and replays it to the user in step 1132. If theuser selected tennis, in accordance with step 1134, the voice portalretrieves tennis news and replays it to the user in step 1132. If theuser selected headlines, in accordance with step 1135, the voice portalretrieves headlines and replays them to the user in step 1132. If theuser selected special events, in accordance with step 1136, the voiceportal retrieves special event news and replays it to the user in step1132. After playing news to the user in step 1132, or sensing that theuser has not made a selection in step 1130, the voice portal prompts theuser to choose whether or not to return to the main menu in step 1137.If the user wishes to return to the main menu, the voice portal willreturn to the regular call process 1138. If the user wishes to stay inthe sports news section, the voice portal returns to step 1130, andprompts the user to select a type of sports news.

[0120] Returning to FIG. 11A, if the user did not select sports, thevoice portal determines if the user selected weather in step 1139. Ifthe user selected weather, the voice portal retrieves the weather page1140. Referring now to FIG. 11E, the voice portal prompts the user tochoose local or international weather, as shown in step 1141. If theuser chooses local weather, in step 1142, the voice portal prompts theuser to provide a city name. There are several ways that the user couldinput the city. A speech recognition system could be used to match thecity named to a plethora of existing cities. Alternatively, the usercould be provided a list of cities from which to choose, or could enterthe city by typing it into the phone using the letters associated witheach of the numbers. The voice portal could then retrieve a weatherreport corresponding to the selected city and play the report to theuser in step 1144. If the user chose international weather in step 1145,the user would be prompted to select a city in step 1146. This could bedone by any of the methods outlined above, or by using another method.The voice portal would then retrieve the weather corresponding to theselected city and play the weather to the user. One skilled in the artshould recognize that in some embodiments, among others, the carriercould use the location determination system 214 to locate the user andprovide local weather without prompting the user to select a city forweather.

[0121] Returning to FIG. 11A, if the user did not select weather, thevoice portal determines if the user selected jokes in step 1148. If theuser selected jokes, the voice portal retrieves the jokes page 1149.Referring now to FIG. 11F, in step 1150, the voice portal alerts theuser that he or she may say “more” at any time to hear more jokes. Instep 1151, the voice portal retrieves a random joke from a joke databaseprovided by the content provider. In step 1152, the voice portal promptsthe user to determine whether another joke should be played. If so, thevoice portal returns to step 1151. If not, the voice portal returns tothe regular call process 1108 in step 1153.

[0122] Referring again to FIG. 11A, if the user did not select jokes,the voice portal determines if the user selected horoscope in step 1154.If the user selected horoscope, the voice portal retrieves the horoscopepage 1140. Referring now to FIG. 11G, in step 1156 the voice portaldetermines whether the user has set a personalized horoscope sign. Ifthe user has personalized his or her horoscope sign, the voice portalretrieves the message of the day associated with the predetermined signand plays the message in step 1157. In step 1158, the voice portal exitsthe horoscope and returns to the main menu at the regular call process1108. If there is no predetermined sign, the voice portal prompts theuser for a sign in step 1159. If the sign is a zodiac sign, according tostep 1160, the voice portal retrieves the zodiac sign and replays themessage of the day for the selected zodiac sign in step 1161. The voiceportal then returns to the main menu page according to step 1158. If thesign is from the Chinese calendar, in accordance with step 1162, thevoice portal retrieves the message of the day for the selected Chineseastrological sign in step 1163, and returns to the main menu in step1158.

[0123] Referring again to FIG. 11A, if the user did not selecthoroscope, the voice portal determines if the user selectedentertainment in step 1164. If the user selected entertainment, thevoice portal retrieves the entertainment page 1165. Referring now toFIG. 11H, in step 1166 the voice portal prompts the user to select thetype of entertainment information he or she would like to receive. Theuser can select from multiple categories that can include, among manyothers: “What's going on?”, cooking, lottery, and movies. If the userselects “What's going on?”, the voice portal will prompt the user as tothe type of activity about which the user wishes to know. For examplethe user could be interested in eating. If the user is interested ineating, as shown in step 1168, the voice portal retrieves suggestionsand plays them for the user in step 1169. If the user is interested indancing, as shown in step 1170, the voice portal can retrieve a list ofdance clubs and play the list for the user in step 1171. One skilled inthe art should recognize that these are mere example of things thatcould be included in the “What's going on?” category.

[0124] If the user selected cooking in step 1172, the voice portal couldprompt the user to choose a style of cooking, such as, for example,Italian or French. If the user wishes to receive an Italian recipe, asshown in step 1173, the voice portal can retrieve an Italian recipe andplay the suggestion for the user in step 1174. However, if the userselects to receive a French recipe, as shown in step 1175, the voiceportal could retrieve a French recipe and play the suggestion for theuser in step 1176. One skilled in the art should recognize that aplethora of styles of cooking exist that could be provided for the userto choose.

[0125] If the user selected the lottery in step 1177, the voice portalcould prompt the user to choose which lottery results are desired. Inthis example, national and local lottery results are provided. If theuser selects national results, as shown in step 1178, the voice portalwill retrieve the national lottery results and play them back for theuser in step 1179. On the other hand, if the user selects local results,as shown in step 1180, the voice portal retrieves the results and playsthem back for the user in step 1181.

[0126] If the user selected movies in step 1182, the voice portal wouldprompt the user to select a city in which the movie is playing in step1183. The voice portal then prompts the user for the name of the moviethat the user would like to see in step 1184. The voice portal wouldthen retrieve movie information and play the movie times and locationsback to the user in step 1185. In step 1186, the voice portal couldprompt the user to determine whether or not the user wishes to hear asynopsis of the movie. If the user wishes to hear a synopsis of themovie, in step 1187 the voice portal plays a movie synopsis or trailer.After playing the synopsis, or being selected not to play the synopsis,in step 1188 the voice portal prompts the user to determine if the userwould like to return to the main menu. If the user wishes to return tothe main menu, in step 1189, the voice portal returns to the regularcall process 1108. Otherwise, the voice portal returns to step 1166, andprompts the user to choose a type of entertainment.

[0127] Referring again to FIG. 11A, if the user did not selectentertainment, the voice portal determines if the user selected e-mailin step 1190. If the user selected e-mail, the voice portal determineswhether or not the user is registered to retrieve e-mail in step 1191.If the user is not registered, the voice portal alerts the user thatregistration is required in step 1192, and returns to step 1112. If theuser is registered, the voice portal retrieves the e-mail page 1193.Referring now to FIG. 11I, the voice portal connects to a post officeprotocol (POP) server and retrieves new e-mail messages associated withthe user's account from the POP server in step 1194. In step 1195, thevoice portal determines whether new messages were received. If newmessages were received, the voice portal alerts the user as to thenumber of new messages received in step 1196. In step 1197, the voiceportal plays the next message using TTL functionality.

[0128] The voice portal then prompts the user as to several options theuser has with respect to the current e-mail message. In step 1198, thevoice portal determines whether the user has decided to skip the currentmessage. If the user decides to skip the message, the voice portalreturns to step 1197 and plays the next message. In step 1199, the voiceportal determines whether the user has decided to delete the currentmessage. If the user decides to delete the current message, the voiceportal will delete the message in step 1200, and return to step 1097 toplay the next message. In step 1201, the voice portal determines whetheror not the user wishes to add the sender of the current message to hisor her directory. If the user wishes to add the sender to his or herdirectory, the voice portal will add the sender in step 1202, and returnto step 1097 to play the next message. In step 1203, the voice portaldetermines whether or not the user wishes to replay old messages. If theuser wishes to replay old messages, the voice portal will retrieve oldmessages in step 1204 and return to step 1097 to play the old messages.

[0129] In step 1205, the voice portal determines whether or not the userwishes to forward the current message to another user. If the userwishes to forward the current message to another user, the voice portalwill prompt the user for the name of the forwarding address in step1206. The voice portal will then prompt the user to record the e-mailmessage in step 1207. In step 1208, the voice portal confirms sendingthe message with the user. If the user wishes to rewrite the message,the voice portal will return to step 1207. If the user confirms sendingthe message, the voice portal sends the message to the e-mail server instep 1209. The voice portal can then determine whether or not the userwishes to return to the main menu in step 1210. If the user wishes toreturn to the main menu, in step 1211 the voice portal returns to theregular call process 1008. Otherwise, the voice portal returns to step1097 to play another message.

[0130] In step 1212, the voice portal determines whether or not the userwishes to reply to the current message. If the user wishes to reply tothe current message, the voice portal will prompt the user to record amessage in step 1207, confirm sending in step 1208, and send the messagein step 1209. If the voice portal determines that the user wishes tocompose a new message in step 1213, the voice portal will prompt theuser to identify the recipient in step 1214. The voice portal will thenallow the user to compose the message in step 1207, confirm sending instep 1208, and send in step 1209.

[0131] If there were no new messages retrieved in step 1095, the voiceportal prompts the user to choose to compose a new message or read oldmessages. One skilled in the art should understand that each of thesefunctions operates similarly whether new messages were retrieved fromthe POP server or not.

[0132] Referring again to FIG. 10A, if the user did not select e-mail,the voice portal determines if the user selected the calendar in step1216. If the user selected the calendar, the voice portal determineswhether or not the user is registered to retrieve the calendar in step1217. If the user is not registered, the voice portal alerts the userthat registration is required in step 1092, and returns to step 1012. Ifthe user is registered, the voice portal retrieves the calendar page1218.

[0133] The voice portal, in step 1219, retrieves the calendarinformation associated with the user. The calendar then determineswhether or not the user has an appointment scheduled for the current dayin step 1220. If the user has an appointment scheduled for the currentday, the voice portal alerts the user that he or she has <x> number ofappointments today in step 1221. The voice portal then plays the nextappointment listed on the schedule in step 1222. The user can thendecide to skip to the next appointment listing in step 1223. If the userskips to the next appointment listing, the voice portal returns to step1222 and retrieves the next appointment. If the user decides to deletethe current appointment, as shown in step 1224, the voice portal willdelete the appointment in accordance with step 1225.

[0134] The voice portal determines in step 1226 whether or not the userwishes to retrieve all appointments from the calendar for the next week.If the user wishes to retrieve all appointments for the next week, thevoice portal will retrieve the appointments in step 1227, and return tostep 1222 to play the next appointment. If the user wishes to retrieveappointments for a specific date, as shown in step 1228, the voiceportal will retrieve all appointments for that date in step 1229, andreturn to step 1222 to play the appointments.

[0135] If the user wishes to create an appointment, in step 1230, thevoice portal will prompt the user for a date, time and length of theappointment in step 1231. The voice portal will also prompt the user torecord a message associated with the appointment in step 1232. Uponrecording the date, time, length and message, the voice portal canconfirm the addition of the appointment to the calendar in step 1233. Ifthe user does not confirm the appointment, the voice portal returns tostep 1231 to create the appointment anew. Otherwise, the appointment iscreated and the voice portal prompts the user to determine whether ornot to return to the main menu in step 1234. If the user wishes toreturn to the main menu, in step 1235 the voice portal will return tothe regular call process 1008. Otherwise, the voice portal retrieves thenext appointment and plays the appointment to the user.

[0136] If there are no appointments found for the current day in step1220, the voice portal will prompt the user to decide if he or she wouldlike to listen to all appointments for the next week, check a specificdate, or create a new appointment in step 1236. One skilled in the artshould understand that these steps are the same regardless of whetherany appointments were found for the current day in step 1220.

[0137] One skilled in the art should understand that the voice portalcontent received by the user could be customized through the webinterface. Moreover, in alternative embodiments, among others, the usercould be allowed to customize the content sent to the voice portalthrough a personalization menu at the voice portal.

[0138] Process and function descriptions and blocks in flow charts canbe understood as representing, in some embodiments, modules, segments,or portions of code which include one or more executable instructionsfor implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process, andalternate implementations are included within the scope of the preferredembodiment of the present invention in which functions may be executedout of order from that shown or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the artof the present invention. In addition, such functional elements can beimplemented as logic embodied in hardware, software, firmware, or acombination thereof, among others. In some embodiments involvingsoftware implementations, such software comprises an ordered listing ofexecutable instructions for implementing logical functions and can beembodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connectionwith an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as acomputer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system thatcan fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system,apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context ofthis document, a computer-readable medium can be any means that cancontain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the software foruse by or in connection with the instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

[0139] It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments ofthe present invention are merely possible examples of implementationsset forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention.Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiment(s) of the invention without departing substantially from theprinciples of the invention. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure andthe present invention and protected by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multiple access internet portal billing system,comprising: a communication facility comprising at least one billingplatform, wherein the communication facility is operable to connect to aplurality of wireless devices on different platforms through a mobilenetwork; a wireless internet server operable to provide internet accessto the plurality of wireless devices and communicate at least onebilling information record including a usage time; and a transactionbilling system operable to receive said at least one billing informationrecord from the wireless internet server, format the billing informationrecord, and communicate the formatted record to said at least onebilling platform.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofdevices comprises at least one of a wireless access protocol enabledphone, a short message service enabled phone, an analog phone, and acomputer with high speed wireless internet access.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, wherein said at least one billing platform comprises a pre-paidbilling platform.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least onebilling platform comprises a post-paid billing platform.
 5. The systemof claim 4, wherein said at least one billing platform further comprisesa pre-paid billing platform.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein thetransaction billing system is further operable to generate billingreports for a wireless carrier and a content provider.
 7. The system ofclaim 6, wherein said at least one billing platform is operable to billat least one customer of a wireless carrier for usage of the wirelessinternet server.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the wireless carriershares revenue collected through said at least one billing platform withthe content provider according to usage of content provided by thecontent provider.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein transaction billingsystem is further operable to provide a content provider with theformatted billing information record.
 10. The system of claim 9, whereinthe communication facility further comprises an interactive voiceresponse unit, and a customer can call the communication facilityinteractive voice response unit to provision an account associated withthe customer to allow access to the wireless internet server andauthorize billing for usage of the server.
 11. A usage based billingsystem for a multiple access portal, comprising: a wireless internetserver operable to provide a plurality of internet applications from acontent provider to a plurality of users through a telephone interface,the wireless internet server being further operable to provideidentification and usage information to a transaction billing system;and the transaction billing system operable to receive theidentification and usage information from the wireless internet server,and format the identification and usage information into a transactionrecord compatible with an existing carrier billing platform, wherein thetransaction billing system is further operable to transmit thetransaction record to the existing carrier billing platform.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the transaction billing system is furtheroperable to store billing rules to apply to each of the plurality ofusers.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the transaction billingsystem is further operable to apply the billing rules in generating thetransaction record compatible with the existing carrier billingplatform.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the transaction billingsystem is further operable to generate reports for a wireless carrierand a content provider.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the wirelessinternet server is operable to route a text message to a short messageservice center at the communication facility.
 16. The system of claim15, wherein the wireless internet server is operable to route a wirelessaccess protocol packet to a wireless access protocol gateway at thecommunication facility.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the wirelessinternet server is operable to route voice content to a voice portal fordelivery to a telephone.
 18. A method of billing clients for use of aservice, the method comprising: providing a server operable to transferinternet data to a mobile user; tracking a time period associated withthe usage of the server by the mobile user; formatting a transactionrecord associated with the mobile user including the time period; andsending the transaction record to a billing platform.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, the method further comprising: billing the mobile user for useof the server.
 20. The method of claim 19, the method furthercomprising: sharing the revenue generated from billing the mobile userwith a content provider.
 21. The method of claim 18, the method furthercomprising: generating at least one usage report based upon usage by amobile user.
 22. The method of claim 21, the method further comprising:transferring said at least one usage report to a content provider. 23.The method of claim 18, wherein the mobile user is using a telephone toreceive the internet data.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein thetelephone is cellular and enabled to receive a short message service.25. The method of claim 23, wherein the cellular telephone is cellularand enabled to receive a wireless access protocol.
 26. The method ofclaim 23, wherein the cellular telephone is cellular and an analogmobile phone.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the mobile user isusing a high speed wireless internet connection through a computer toreceiver the internet data.